Portable exercise device and method

ABSTRACT

A portable exercise device comprising: a support member, configurable to be installed such that it is generally stationary when in use; a first rotatable hand grip device attached to the support member, the rotatable hand grip device comprising: a first housing attached to the support member; a first grip rotatable within the first housing, the rotation taking place generally within an imaginary plane that is generally perpendicular to the direction of earth&#39;s gravity, and where the first grip is generally sized so that a user&#39;s hand can grasp and hold on to the first grip; a second rotatable hand grip device attached to the support member, the rotatable hand grip device comprising: a second housing attached to the support member; a second grip rotatable within the second housing, the rotation taking place generally within an imaginary plane that is generally perpendicular to the direction of earth&#39;s gravity, and where the second grip is generally sized so that a user&#39;s hand can grasp and hold on to the second grip. A method of using a portable exercise device with rotating grips, the method comprising: grasping grips in a chin-up position; pulling body up towards the grips; rotating grips into a pull-up position; finishing pulling body to the top of the exercise position, but with hands in a pull-up position; beginning to lower body back to a starting position; rotating the grips of both hands back to a chin-up position; and completing a repetition of the exercise back at the start position, with hands in a chin-up position. A method of using a portable exercise device with rotating grips, the method comprising: grasping grips in a pull-up position; pulling body up towards the grips; rotating grips into a chin-up position; finishing pulling body to the top of the exercise position, but with hands in a chin-up position; beginning to lower body back to a starting position; rotating the grips of both hands back to a pull-up position; and completing a repetition of the exercise back at the start position, with hands in a pull-up position.

CROSS-REFERENCES

The present application claims the benefit of provisional patentapplication No. 61/369,687 filed on Jul. 31, 2010, by Leighton Barchi,entitled “Double Up Revolutionary Pull-Up Bar”, the entire contents ofwhich are fully incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a portable, personal exercise device, and moreparticularly to a personal exercise device that allows for the rotationof the hands, wrists, and/or arms during the exercise.

BACKGROUND

Presently, there is an increased awareness of the importance of goodhealth. The medical industry has made significant technologicaladvances, and people are more aware of the positive effect that properdiet and exercise can have on life expectancy. Toward that end, anincreasing number of people closely monitor their diets and participatein some form of physical exercise in order to maintain their health andincrease their chances of living longer.

The active and busy lifestyles of many individuals often necessitate anexercise program that can be completed in a short period of time withouthaving to travel a long distance to a gym or other exercise facility.The ability to exercise outdoors in one's neighborhood is oftennegatively impacted by adverse weather conditions, limited number ofdaylight hours, traffic, and the prevalence of criminal activity.Therefore, indoor exercise in one's home, office or hotel room is oftenthe best and most convenient choice for a place to exercise. Perhaps themost common indoor exercises are pull-ups and chin-ups. Such types ofexercise require minimum equipment in terms of size and cost. Pull-upsand chin-ups may be done on any convenient horizontal bar or supportwhich may be grasped by a user. Such activities may be performed usingany number of devices of modest cost and size that may be mounted withrespect to a door opening. The great majority of devices of this typerequires coupling through screws or the like to the periphery of a dooropening. Such coupling, however, normally involves defacing of the doorthat leaves an unsightly appearance when the device is removed.

One other disadvantage of a straight pull-up or chin-up bar is that itlimits the number of exercises, and therefore, the number and type ofmuscles that can be exercised. Also, since the hands are in a staticposition during the pull-up or chin-up exercise, strain may be placed onthe hands, wrist, arms, back, and chest while performing the exercise.In addition, there is no known portable exercise device that allows forperforming a pull-up and/or chin-up while being able to rotate hands,wrist, and/or arms during the exercise. Such an exercise may lead tobetter training and exercise.

Therefore, there is a need for a portable exercise device that overcomesthe above and other disadvantages.

SUMMARY

The disclosed invention relates to a portable exercise devicecomprising: a support member, configurable to be installed such that itis generally stationary when in use; a first rotatable hand grip deviceattached to the support member, the rotatable hand grip devicecomprising: a first housing attached to the support member; a first griprotatable within the first housing, the rotation taking place generallywithin an imaginary plane that is generally perpendicular to thedirection of earth's gravity, and where the first grip is generallysized so that a user's hand can grasp and hold on to the first grip; asecond rotatable hand grip device attached to the support member, therotatable hand grip device comprising: a second housing attached to thesupport member; a second grip rotatable within the second housing, therotation taking place generally within an imaginary plane that isgenerally perpendicular to the direction of earth's gravity, and wherethe second grip is generally sized so that a user's hand can grasp andhold on to the second grip.

The invention also relates to a method of using a portable exercisedevice with rotating grips, the method comprising: grasping grips in achin-up position; pulling body up towards the grips; rotating grips intoa pull-up position; finishing pulling body to the top of the exerciseposition, but with hands in a pull-up position; beginning to lower bodyback to a starting position; rotating the grips of both hands back to achin-up position; and completing a repetition of the exercise back atthe start position, with hands in a chin-up position.

The invention, in addition, relates to a method of using a portableexercise device with rotating grips, the method comprising: graspinggrips in a pull-up position; pulling body up towards the grips; rotatinggrips into a chin-up position; finishing pulling body to the top of theexercise position, but with hands in a chin-up position; beginning tolower body back to a starting position; rotating the grips of both handsback to a pull-up position; and completing a repetition of the exerciseback at the start position, with hands in a pull-up position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in thepertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where likeelements are numbered alike in the several figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the disclosed portable exercise device;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the disclosed portable exercise device withthe grips rotated about 180′;

FIG. 3 is a cut away view of the disclosed portable exercise device;

FIG. 4 is a cut away view of the disclosed portable exercise device withthe grips rotated about 180°;

FIG. 5 is bottom view of the disclosed portable exercise device;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the disclosed portable exercise device withthe grips rotated about 180°;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the disclosed portable exercise device;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the disclosed portable exercise device;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of one rotatable hand grip device;

FIG. 10 is a top view of one end of the disclosed portable exercisedevice;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the disclosedportable exercise device attached to a doorway;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the disclosed portable exercise deviceinstalled in a doorway;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a disclosed method; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another disclosed method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 discloses a side view of the portable exercise device 10 beingused by a user 14, the user's two arms shown 18, 22. The devicecomprises a support member 26. The device 10 may be configured toremoveably attach to any structure that is suitable for supporting auser, such as, but not limited to a wall, ceiling, stairs, door,doorway, or door jamb. Examples of attachment means are shown in FIGS.11 and 12. The device comprises a first and second connecting members30, 34. In one embodiment, the connecting members 30 and 34 may be fixedto the support member 26. In other embodiments, the connecting members30, 34 may be slideably attached to the support member 26 and locked inplace by the user using any suitable locking means, including, but notlimited to: set screws; collars, locking pins; etc. Attached to each ofthe connecting members 30, 34 is a rotatable hand grip device 38, 42. Asshown in FIG. 1, the user's two hands 46, 50 are grasping or holding onto the rotatable hand grip devices 38, 42. In FIG. 1, the user's hands46, 50 are orientated so that the palms are generally facing in the samedirection as the user's face, or in other words, the user is in positionto do a pull-up. In FIG. 2, the user's hands rotated a grip within eachof the rotatable hand grip devices 38, 42 in an “inward” direction sonow the palms of the hands 46, 50 generally face in a direction oppositethe user's face. The rotatable hand grip devices 38, 42, may be spacedapart to be generally shoulder width apart with respect to a user. Thedistance between the rotatable hand grip devices 38, 42 may range fromabout zero inches to about 40 inches, and preferably will range fromabout 22 inches to about 26 inches.

FIG. 3 shows a cutaway view through the rotatable hand grip devices 38,42. In this view, one can see the grips 54, 58 in each of the rotatablehand grip devices 38, 42. Those grips 54, 58, in one embodiment, rotatewith respect to the housing 62, 66 of the rotatable hand grip devices38, 42. The grips 54, 58 may be knurled, or may have cushioning. Thegrips 54, 58 rotate generally in an imaginary plane that is parallel tothe local surface of the earth, or if the local surface of the earth isirregular, the imaginary plane is generally perpendicular to thedirection of the force of gravity. The grips 54, 58 are generally sizedso that a user's hand can grasp and hold on to either of the grips 54,58, when doing an exercise such as a pull-up or a chin-up, or acombination of both. The housings 62, 66 are generally non-rotatablewith respect to the support member 26 and the connecting members 30, 34.FIG. 4 shows the grips 54, 58 rotated generally about 180° with respectto the FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a bottom cross-sectional view through the rotatable handgrip devices 38, 42. The support member 26, in this view, can be seen tocomprise two parallel bars 27, 28. However, in other embodiments, thesupport member 26 may comprise a single bar. In this view, the firstgrip 54 is shown attached to a first inner race 70. A first outer race74 is attached to the first housing 62 (First housing 62 is not shownfor clarity). A set of rolling elements 78 is located between the firstinner race 70 and first outer race 74. The rolling elements 78 may beany suitable type of rolling element, including, but not limited to,balls, cylindrical rollers, needle rollers, tapered rollers, andspherical rollers. The inner race, outer race, and rolling elementsthusly form a bearing. Hence, the first grip 54 can rotate with thefirst inner race 70 with respect to the first outer race 74 and thesupport member 26. Similarly, the second grip 58 is shown attached to asecond inner race 82. A second outer race 86 is attached the secondhousing 66 (second housing 66 is not shown for clarity). A set ofrolling elements 78 are located between the second inner race 82 andsecond outer race 86. Thus, the second grip 58 can rotate with thesecond inner race 82 with respect to the second outer race 86 and thesupport member 26. FIG. 6 shows the grips 54, 58 rotated about 90° withrespect to the grips in FIG. 5. In this embodiment the grips 54, 58 canrotate freely with respect to the outer races 74, 86.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the disclosed portable exercise device 10. Inthis view, the ends of the support member can be seen, and, in oneembodiment, the two parallel bars 27, 28 may attach to each other viaU-shaped connections 90, 94. In the shown embodiment, the U-shapedconnections 90, 94 may be cushioned, to make the U-shaped connectionsmore suitable for performing exercises. In addition, the cushions willhelp protect the walls, door jamb, doorway, or moldings when using thedevice for chin-ups, pull-ups, or other exercises, see FIGS. 11 and 12.In still other embodiments, the two parallel bars 27, 28 may not be indirect connection at all, see FIG. 10, for example. In this view, thefirst and second connecting members 30, 34, are shown connecting theparallel bars 27, 28 to the housings 62, 66 of each of the rotatablehand grip device 38, 42. In one embodiment, the first and secondconnecting members 30, 34 may be made out of any suitable material,including but not limited to: bent sheet metal, and molded plastic. Thefirst and second connecting members 30, 34 may be connected to thehousings 62, 66 via any suitable attachment means 90 including but notlimited to rivets, screws, welds, adhesive, etc. In addition, the firstand second connecting members 30, 34 may also be connected to thesupport member 26 via any suitable attachment means 94 including but notlimited to rivets, screws, welds, adhesive, etc. FIG. 8 is a side viewof the device 10 from FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of therotatable hand grip device 38. In this view, the inner race 70 may havea channel 98 for the bearings 78, which will allow the bearings tohandle radial loads, but will also allow the bearings to handle axialloads, such as the load generated by a user hanging from the grips 54,58. The channel 98, therefore may be slightly offset from the radialplane of rotation, such that it will be angled from the radial plane ofrotation by about 30° to about 60° and preferably about 45°, see angle αin FIG. 9. Also seen in this view, the attachment means 94, may be arivet that attaches the connecting member 38, to the bars 27, 28, and tothe housing 62 or first outer race 74.

FIG. 10 is another embodiment of the disclosed portable exercise device10. However, in this embodiment, the two parallel bars 27, 28 are notconnected by a U-shaped connection, but rather simply may terminatewithout connecting to each other. In this embodiment, the terminal endsof the each of the bars 27, 28 may have cushions 98.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of the attachment means for attaching thedevice 10 to a doorway 102. The attachment means may be similar to thatused by other pull-up bars, such as the Pro Fit Iron Gym Pull Up Bar,which uses leverage to hold itself to the doorframe. FIG. 11 shows thatthe two parallel bars 27, 28 are attached via attachment means 122, 126to a first curved member 106, and a second curved member 110,respectively. The attachment means may be any suitable attachment means,including, but not limited to, welds, machine screws, rivets, screws andbolts, adhesive. Attached to the top of both curved members is a bumpermember 114. As shown, the bumper member 114 rests on top of the molding118 in the door frame. FIG. 12 shows a view from the other side of thedoorframe, and, in this view, the cushioned U-shaped attachment means90, 94 are against the molding 122 of the other side of the door way.

The disclosed portable exercise may be used in many ways. FIG. 13 showsjust one method of use. At act 200 the user grasps the grips in apull-up position, that is with palms of the hand facing away from theuser. At act 204, the user pulls his body up towards the grips orexercise device. At act 208 the user rotates the grips into a chin-upposition, that is with his palms facing towards him. At act 212 the userhas pulled himself to the top of the exercise position, but with hishands in a chin-up position. At act 216, the user begins to lower hisbody back to the starting position. At act 220, the user rotates thegrips of both hands back to a pull-up position, that is with the palmsof his hands again facing away from him. At act 224 the user completesthe first repetition of his exercise back at the start position, withhis hands in the pull-up position, and at the bottom of the exercise.

FIG. 14 shows another exercise the user may perform. At act 228 the usergrasps the grips in a chin-up position, that is with palms of the handfacing the user. At act 232, the user pulls his body up towards thegrips or exercise device. At act 236 the user rotates the grips into apull-up position, that is with his palms facing away from him. At act240 the user has pulled himself to the top of the exercise position, butwith his hands in a pull-up position. At act 244, the user begins tolower his body back to the starting position. At act 248, the userrotates the grips of both hands back to a chin-up position, that is withthe palms of his hands again facing toward him. At act 252 the usercompletes the first repetition of his exercise back at the startposition, with his hands in the chin-up position, and at the bottom ofthe exercise.

The disclosed invention has many advantages. The disclosed portableexercise device allows a person to do pull-ups on independently-rotatinggrips or hand-holds. The rotatability of the grips allows the user to dofront pull-ups: pull-ups with pronated palms facing away; rotate bothhands simultaneously to do under-handed chin-ups: pull-ups withsupinated palms facing the body; mixed-grip pull-ups (one hand front,one hand under); rotating a single hand during a pull-up from front tounder; and alternate hand pivots during an exercise. The portableexercise device allows a user to engage more muscle groups during asingle pull-up set without changing grips. The disclosed device allowsone to rotate the grips so one can start in a chin-up position, rotateto a pull-up position, and back to a chin-up position, all during theexecution of pulling oneself up to the bar/grips, thereby exercisingmany more muscles as compared to doing a straight pull-up or a straightchin-up. Of course, one will recognize that a user can start in apull-up position, rotate to a chin-up position, and so forth, during theexecution of pulling oneself up to the bar/grips.

It should be noted that the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” andthe like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/oranalogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential,or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specificallystated.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to severalembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situationor material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing fromthe essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that thedisclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as thebest mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that thedisclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of theappended claims.

1. A portable exercise device comprising: a support member, configurableto be installed such that it is generally stationary when in use; afirst rotatable hand grip device attached to the support member, therotatable hand grip device comprising: a first housing attached to thesupport member; a first grip rotatable within the first housing, therotation taking place generally within an imaginary plane that isgenerally perpendicular to the direction of earth's gravity, and whereinthe first grip is generally sized so that a user's hand can grasp andhold on to the first grip; a second rotatable hand grip device attachedto the support member, the rotatable hand grip device comprising: asecond housing attached to the support member; a second grip rotatablewithin the second housing, the rotation taking place generally within animaginary plane that is generally perpendicular to the direction ofearth's gravity, and wherein the second grip is generally sized so thata user's hand can grasp and hold on to the second grip.
 2. The portableexercise device of claim 1, wherein the support member may be removablyattached to a doorway.
 3. The portable exercise device of claim 1, wherethe first rotatable hand grip device further comprises; a first outerrace fixedly attached to the first housing; a first inner race fixedlyattached to the first grip; a plurality of rolling elements locatedbetween the first outer race and the first inner race, and configured toallow the first inner race to rotate with respect to the first outerrace; where the second rotatable hand grip device further comprises; asecond outer race fixedly attached to the second housing; a second innerrace fixedly attached to the second grip; and a plurality of rollingelements located between the second outer race and the second innerrace, and configured to allow the second inner race to rotate withrespect to the second outer race.
 4. The portable exercise device ofclaim 1, where the first rotatable hand grip device is slideablyattached to the support member, where the second rotatable hand gripdevice is slideably attached to the support member; and where both thefirst and second rotatable hand grip devices may be locked in place withrespect to the support member, with the first and second grips stillable to rotate with respect to the first and second housings,respectively.
 5. The portable exercise device of claim 3, wherein therolling elements can sustain both radial and axial loads.
 6. Theportable exercise device of claim 1, further comprising: a firstattachment means attached to the support member; a second attachmentmeans attached to the support member; a first curved member attached tothe first attachment means at generally a first end of the first curvedmember; a second curved member attached to the second attachment meansat generally a first end of the second curved member; a bumper attachedgenerally to the second end of the first curved member and to the secondend of the second curved member; wherein the bumper is configured torest against a top of a doorway molding, allowing a user to use thegrips to pull the user up for exercise.
 7. A method of using a portableexercise device with rotating grips, the method comprising: graspinggrips in a chin-up position; pulling body up towards the grips; rotatinggrips into a pull-up position; finishing pulling body to the top of theexercise position, but with hands in a pull-up position; beginning tolower body back to a starting position; rotating the grips of both handsback to a chin-up position; and completing a repetition of the exerciseback at the start position, with hands in a chin-up position.
 8. Amethod of using a portable exercise device with rotating grips, themethod comprising: grasping grips in a pull-up position; pulling body uptowards the grips; rotating grips into a chin-up position; finishingpulling body to the top of the exercise position, but with hands in achin-up position; beginning to lower body back to a starting position;rotating the grips of both hands back to a pull-up position; andcompleting a repetition of the exercise back at the start position, withhands in a pull-up position.